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Wednesday, June 5, 2013

Bad Weather is Scary

Some things we can control. Some things we can’t. The weather falls into the second group. And things that we can’t control can be frightening. I complain a lot about the weather. It is too cold, snowy, rainy, and sometimes it is even too hot. That’s what we do, dream of summer in the midst of a January snow and dream of January when the thermometer tops 100° in July. But truly bad weather, the kind recently experienced by the citizens of Oklahoma falls into a different category.

I have never experienced a tornado. I can’t begin to imagine the fear felt by people when they hear the siren or get the report to GO FOR COVER, NOW! We who live on the coast are in the hurricane zone. Fierce storms of epic proportions with terrifying outcomes. But there is a difference. We can prepare. We know it is coming. We have time to board up our windows, stock the supplies, evacuate.

Exposure to disasters is traumatizing. Not everyone is affected in the same way or to the same degree. In the time following a disaster, people with training in disaster relief are deployed to the affected areas to offer help and support to victims. People trained in psychological first aid are there to offer the assistance you or your family need providing immediate and ongoing safety, both physical and emotional, by connecting you to needed supports and services.

I believe responders in psychological first aid can reduce the incredible stress people exposed to catastrophic events experience. They can’t prevent the storm but maybe, just maybe then can help with the aftermath.